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The Malian government has announced that its armed forces successfully repelled a series of jihadist attacks across multiple towns, killing almost 100 terrorists.

Getting into it: According to Malian military officials, the wave of coordinated jihadist attacks struck seven towns across western and central Mali in the early hours of July 1. Armed militants launched simultaneous assaults on military posts in Diboli, Kayes, Sandare, Nioro du Sahel, Gogoui, Molodo, and Niono, using gunfire and shelling to target both defense forces and government infrastructure.

The Malian Armed Forces responded by repelling the assaults, reportedly killing more than 80 militants and seizing weapons, motorcycles, vehicles, and communication equipment. While the military emphasized that the “enemy suffered significant losses,” it did not release information about its own casualties. These strikes mark the third major assault on Malian forces in the past month.

The terrorist organization Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), an al-Qaeda affiliate operating in the Sahel, claimed responsibility for the coordinated attacks. In a statement shared on social media, the group described the assaults as “coordinated and high-quality,” claiming that its fighters had seized control of three military barracks during the offensive.

Amid the chaos, three Indian nationals working at the Diamond Cement Factory in Kayes were abducted during the attack on the facility. The Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) condemned the abduction as a “deplorable act of violence” and urged the Malian government to secure the safe and swift release of the hostages.